Hockey sock with adjustable fitting mechanism

ABSTRACT

A hockey sock with an adjustable mechanism that provides a wearer with a continuous range of sizing options is provided. The adjustable mechanism may be used to adjust the size of the hockey sock, and to secure other protective equipment, such as shin pads, worn underneath the sock. In a preferred embodiment, the adjustable mechanism comprises at least one strap housing affixed to the inner layer of the sock and configured to receive a strap extending circumferentially about the sock and within the strap housing. The strap extends into a strap adjustor, which in conjunction with the strap forms the adjustable mechanism for the sock. The wearer is able to adjust the size of the hockey sock by exerting a tightening force to the strap adjustor to conveniently adjust the sock to the desired fit. A user may access the adjustable mechanism while the sock is being worn for the purpose of changing the inner circumference of the sizing of the sock so as to obtain a better fit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of sports equipment, and more particularly to a footless sock for ice hockey players with an associated adjustable strap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a hockey sock and an associated adjustable strap for a fitting, cinching, and fastening mechanism. Hockey socks are ankle-to-thigh garments worn over protective gear by ice hockey players. Traditionally, they are form-fitting and are made of a cotton, synthetic, or blended rib-knit fabric. Organized hockey teams wear hockey socks in designated team colors, which are complementary to the team uniform.

The form-fitting feature of the hockey sock, inter alia, assists in holding the shin pads in place in addition to fittingly wrapping around the players' legs to protect against cuts and abrasions. However, during the course of the game, shin pads are susceptible to shift about the player's legs, which in turn exposes the player's shins to abrasions and injury. While shin pads have their own fastening mechanism, many hockey players employ additional methods to secure the shin pads worn underneath the hockey sock. For example, hockey sock tape or VELCRO® straps are the most commonly used systems to secure the shin pads worn underneath the hockey sock.

Another problem with traditional hockey socks is that they are only manufactured in a limited number of sizes. Generally, given the range of sizes of persons found in the population, adjustable mechanisms are required so that the equipment manufacturers may make a limited range of sizes, while allowing for a proper fit to be obtained by a given individual. While adjustment systems for use within other ice hockey protective equipment, such as helmets and shin pads, are generally known, no such integrated fitting mechanism is available for hockey socks. In order to make the overly large hockey socks fit adequately, players again make use of the known systems previously mentioned, i.e., hockey tape or VELCRO® straps to adjust the hockey socks to their desired tightness.

Despite the benefits provided by known adjusting systems, they tend to be ineffective, inconvenient, expensive and wasteful. Since these known systems are external to the hockey socks themselves, they are prone to shift about more readily during the course of the game.

The use of hockey tape to secure hockey socks and shin pads is inconvenient because such use lengthens the time players spend putting protective equipment on before a game and then removing the equipment after the game ends. Additionally, if the shin pad moves about during the game, players have to remove the tape from the hockey socks, in order to adjust the shin pads and then reapply the hockey tape on top of the socks. Moreover, the hockey sock tape is a not reusable and is costly. It can cost a hockey team hundreds or even thousands every year to purchase hockey tape for its players. Lastly, since the hockey tape is disposed of after use, it generates additional landfill waste.

The use of external VELCRO® straps is problematic in particular, because the “hook and loop” fasteners become clogged with lint and other debris, reducing their effectiveness. The elasticity of the VELCRO® bands also tends to be lost over time, which further reduces the effectiveness of these systems. Additionally, VELCRO® straps which are wrapped immediately over the shin pads but underneath the hockey socks, do not adequately secure the hockey sock, and VELCRO® straps which are fixed on top of the hockey socks detract from the aesthetics of the team uniform.

Another weakness of these systems is their inconvenience. During the course of a hockey game, the shin pads tend to shift about for a variety of reasons, including player movement during the game, and contact with other players. In order to place the shin pads back in place, the players have to remove the hockey tape or the VELCRO® straps and reattach their equipment, lengthening the time the player is away from the game.

Therefore, there is a need for a hockey sock with an adjustable mechanism incorporated within the sock. Such a mechanism should provide hockey players with convenience of use, a continuous and durable range of precise sizing options, and a means of effectively holding the shin pads in place. Ideally, the user could also access the adjustable mechanism while the sock is being worn for the purpose of changing the inner circumference of the sizing of the sock so as to obtain a better fit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These needs are addressed by the hockey sock of the invention which includes an adjustable mechanism that provides players with a continuous range of precise sizing options. The present invention relates to a hockey sock with one or more associated straps which may be sewn into the inner layer of the hockey sock, in conjunction with a strap adjustor. This adjustable mechanism allows players to adjust the size of the sock and conveniently secure the shin pads in place. In one embodiment, the strap material circumferentially extends around the inner layer of the hockey sock and extends to the outer layer of the hockey sock to connect to a strap adjustor. The wearer is able to adjust the size of the hockey sock by exerting a tightening force to the strap adjustor to conveniently adjust the sock to the desired fit. The outer layer of the hockey sock further contains a strap pocket which allows the wearer to fold and tuck away the remaining strap back into the hockey sock.

As embodied and broadly described below, the present invention provides a hockey sock with a strapping material circumferentially extending about an inner layer of the hockey sock, with the strapping material extending to the outside layer of the hockey sock and connecting to a strap adjuster to form the adjustable mechanism, comprising at least one adjustable strap designed to adjust the size and tension as desired by the user.

In one aspect, the hockey sock comprises a covering designed to fit around the circumference of a player's leg. The covering takes the form of a tube, which is sized to accommodate a player's shin area along with associated protective padding or equipment such as shin guards. The sock is adequately sized so that the player can don the sock comfortably by inserting his or her foot into the top end and sliding the sock over the leg.

In a further aspect, the hockey sock includes one or more integrated straps which are slidably contained in a housing spanning the circumference of the sock. The straps are adjustable to tighten or loosen the sock as required. In a preferred embodiment, two separate straps are provided to provide tightening of the sock at two points spaced along the length of the sock. Each strap is made of a single strip of fabric or other suitable material which, when installed in the housing of the sock, encircles the leg when the sock is worn, and has ends which overlap each other and can be tightened through use of a securement means such as buckle. Alternatively, the ends of the straps can be secured by tying to each other if they are constructed of sufficiently flexible material which also has adequate traction when tied. The sock can also be constructed with as little as one strap, or with three, four, or more straps depending on the preference of the user for multiple points of tightening along the leg. At least one strap is best located in the top half of the sock to ensure that the sock stays secured on the leg during use.

In yet a further aspect, the straps of the hockey sock need not be made of a single strip of fabric encircling the sock and having ends which meet or overlap each other. The sock may have two shorter straps which may be secured opposite each other around the circumference of the sock, and may be used to tighten the sock by securement means such as the aforementioned buckle or by a hook and clasp type closure, or any other means for connection, tightening and closure known in the art. Alternatively, the sock may be outfitted with one or more single ended straps which are permanently secured to the sock one end, and which may be used to tighten the sock by connecting the strap to a separate buckle or other closure means located elsewhere on the sock. Many configurations for tightening and securing a garment using straps are known in the art and may be substituted by skilled persons.

In a further embodiment, the sock may also incorporate a covering for the aforementioned securement means, which may be beneficial in that the securement means is less likely to catch on external objects during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be better understood with reference to the description and to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the hockey sock with an internal adjusting mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a back perspective cutaway view of a preferred embodiment of the hockey sock with an internal adjusting mechanism, including an enlarged view of the adjusting mechanism.

In these figures, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to define the limits of the invention. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and in certain instances details may have been omitted that are not necessary for an understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the hockey sock with the adjustable mechanism. In this embodiment, the hockey sock material forms the body of the hockey sock 100. The sock 100 is open at its top end 102 and at its bottom end 104, forming a tapered tube dimensioned to accommodate and fit to a hockey player's leg, including underlying equipment, such as a shin guard. The sock 100 further comprises an inner layer 106 (as seen in FIG. 2) and an outer layer 108 of the hockey sock.

The embodiment in FIG. 2 also shows the strap housing 110 is affixed to the inner layer of the sock 106 and contains the strap material 112. The strap material 112 extends circumferentially about the inner layer of the sock 106 and is contained within the strap housing 110.

The strap material 112 may include or completely be constructed of, for example, a textured polyester fiber, cotton, spun polyester, or a combination thereof, as well as any other appropriate knitted, woven, or non-woven textile material.

Also shown in FIG. 2, the strap material 112 extends to the outer layer of the sock 108 and connects into the strap adjustors 114. The strap adjustors 114 are located on the outer layer of the socks 108 and are connected to the strap material 112. The wearer is able to adjust the size of the sock 100 and achieve the desired fit by exerting a tightening force on the strap material 112 and the strap adjustor 114. The strap pocket 116 is located on the outer layer of the sock 108 and adjacent to the strap adjustor 114. The strap pocket 116 allows the wearer to fold and tuck away the remaining strap material 112 back into the inner layer of the sock 106.

In another preferred embodiment, the user can pull the strap material 112 in a direction horizontally away from the strap adjustors 114 in order to decrease the overall diameter of the sock 100. The increases or decreases in overall length of the strap material 100 housed within the strap housing 110 corresponds to respective loosening or tightening of the sock 100.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the sock 100 in further detail, including a more detailed view of the strap adjustor 114 and the strap housing 110. As described previously, the strap housing 110 is affixed to the inner layer of the sock 106 and houses the strap material 112 which can be pulled horizontally away from the strap adjustor 114 to tighten in accordance with the wearer's comfort and desired tightness. The lower figure shows the front view of the adjusting mechanism 200 which includes the strap material 112 extending into the strap adjustor 114 and continually extending into the strap pocket 116.

Stitching is a convenient way to affix the strap housing 110 to the inner layer of sock 106, but other known methods, such as adhesives, may be used. Additionally, while a buckle is shown to be the preferred embodiment of the adjustment mechanism 200, other known methods can be used in conjunction with the strap material 112 to adjust the diameter, size and tightness of the sock 100.

While the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a hockey sock having two sets of strap material 112, strap housing 110 and strap adjustors 114, the number and placement of these parts can be varied in other embodiments. For instance, they may be placed closer to the respective bottom end 104 and top end 102. The sock may be configured to have three or more sets of strap material 112, strap housing 110 and strap adjustors 114 dispersed along the length of the hockey sock. The number of sets of strap material 112, strap housing 110 and strap adjustors 114 can be varied, the minimum number being one. A sufficient number is necessary so that the hockey sock will stay secured to the user's leg and securely contain the other equipment such as the shin pads.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that numerous variations, modifications, and embodiments would be evident to a person of skill in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sock comprising at least one adjustable strap, said strap extending in a circumferential direction about the sock for securing the sock to a user's leg, said sock further comprising a strap adjustor, wherein the tension of the strap is adjustable for tightening and loosening, respectively, said sock on the user's leg.
 2. The sock of claim 1, wherein the adjustable strap is contained within a strap housing incorporated into said sock.
 3. The sock with the adjustable strap of claim 1, wherein the sock is dimensioned to encapsulate the user's leg from a heel to a knee of said user.
 4. The sock of claim 2 having a plurality of adjustable straps and strap housings.
 5. The sock of claim 1, further incorporating a cover fitted over the strap adjustor. 